An electric battery may convert stored chemical energy into electrical energy. The battery or battery cell may have a positive terminal, or cathode, and a negative terminal, or anode. The terminal marked positive may be at a higher electrical potential energy than the terminal marked negative. When a battery is connected to an external circuit, electrolytes are able to move as ions within, allowing the chemical reactions to be completed at the separate terminals and so deliver energy to the external circuit.
Single-use or “disposable” batteries are typically used once and discarded. The electrode materials are generally irreversibly changed during discharge. Rechargeable batteries can typically be discharged and recharged multiple times. The original composition of the electrodes can be restored by reverse current. Examples of rechargeable batteries include lead-acid batteries used in vehicles and lithium-ion batteries used in electric or hybrid vehicles, portable electronics, and other uses. Batteries come in many shapes and sizes, from miniature cells used to power hearing aids and wristwatches to battery banks the size of rooms that provide standby power for telephone exchanges and computer data centers. Higher energy densities of a battery may be generally desirable, as such may lead to a smaller size or foot print of the battery. Indeed, a higher energy density may provide for smaller batteries providing the same energy as larger batteries. Such can improve efficiency, reduce costs, improve user experience, and make new products more feasible.
The same numbers are used throughout the disclosure and the figures to reference like components and features. Numbers in the 100 series refer to features originally found in FIG. 1; numbers in the 200 series refer to features originally found in FIG. 2; and so on.